ANNOUNCEMENT


Date:   September 24, 2012

To:     All UF Graduate Students

Cc:     All UF Graduate Coordinators and Staff

From:   UF George A. Smathers Libraries

RE:     October 16: Authors@UF: Richard Scher, "The Politics of Disenfranchisement: Why is it So Hard to Vote in America?"


Join the Authors@UF series at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 in Room 1A Smathers Library (East) to hear award-wining UF professor Richard Scher discuss his latest book and a timely topic: "The Politics of Disenfranchisement: Why is it So Hard to Vote in America?"

Will you be voting in November?

Are you sure?

Many people think that going to the polls is all that's needed to vote. Richard Scher disagrees. Drawing from his award-winning new book, "The Politics of Disenfranchisement," Scher discusses the tradition of restricting or denying voting rights to large numbers of Americans.

Scher will engage his audience in a conversation on historical voting barriers, like literacy tests and poll taxes, and more current obstacles, like the recent wave of state laws-including here in Florida-that restrict voting without a photo ID. This will be a stimulating and informative hour on a controversial topic at the heart of American democracy and the 2012 elections.

Dr. Richard K. Scher is currently a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida.

Dr. Scher is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and book chapters, and five books: "Florida's Gubernatorial Politics in the Twentieth Century" (Co-authored with David R. Colburn, 1980); "Politics in the New South: Republicanism, Race and Leadership in the Twentieth Century" (1992); "Voting Rights and Democracy: The Law and Politics of Districting" (Co-authored with John L. Mills and John J. Hotaling, 1996); "The Modern Political Campaign: Mudslinging, Bombast and the Vitality of American Politics" (1997); and "The Politics of Disenfranchisement: Why is it So Hard to Vote in America?" (2011). "The Politics of Disenfranchisement" was named a 2011 Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Reviews Online.

This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Hope to see you there!